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The next three posts are taken from keynote addresses by Grace Fox at InScribe’s Fall Conference, 2022. The conference theme was “Write in Season” This is keynote one entitled “A Time to Write”.
Grace Fox’s keynote addresses were definitely worthy of taking notes! She started by reminding us that we are all in different seasons and stages in our writing journey, then reminded us to listen to God’s voice when it comes to our writing.
“I know that I know God has called me to write and I’ll keep on writing until he calls me to stop.”
Here are her further “points to ponder”:
2. Don’t wait until you get a contract. Keep submitting to multiple places. If you want to write for magazines or desire a traditional contract, then you must continue to submit proposals. Don’t sit and wait for a response from each one. Of course, we do need to take a break on occasion and God sometimes calls us to rest, but for the most part, keep on writing!
3. Don’t wait until you get paid. Often, doing something for free opens up doors of opportunity. Don’t despise the day of small beginnings! They can lead to much bigger things.
4. Don’t wait until you’re less busy. We’re all busy. That’s just reality. There will never be the perfect time to write, but there is always NOW. Learn to write from wherever you are. Grace gave examples of writing in airports, hotel rooms, and sitting in hallways! She has deadlines and just has to do it! She challenged us to examine how we spend our time. There are ways to carve out more writing time… Eliminate some TV or Social media; get up half an hour earlier. Even half an hour a day equals six and a half hours a week. Over time, this adds up! She asked us to examine why we live such over-committed lives. Are we afraid of disappointing others? (Fear of man.) Do we derive value from over-extending ourselves? (Performance-driven sense of self-worth.) Take a close look at what you spend your time on and re-evaluate your priorities. Often, we are too busy because we are trying to maintain control or are caught in perfectionism. (It’s easier to do it ourselves or we want it done “right”.) Let these go! Maybe we need to get out of the way in order to let someone else step in. If God has called us to write, we must honour that with our commitment!
5. Don’t wait until you’re in a “better place”. Writing through our weaknesses is a powerful form of therapy. Even if no one else ever reads it—sometimes the writing is just for ourselves. Other times, we will be able to minister to others through what we’ve experienced. Rely on God. Don’t try to do it in your own strength.
6. Don’t wait until you have others’ approval. People may criticize or even disapprove, but we are accountable to God, not anyone else. God is on the throne. There might even be spiritual attacks and we may need to go to war. Trust God for His timing in everything.
